Chronic Disease Prevention
Chronic diseases are leading causes of death and disability worldwide. In Canada, about two thirds of total deaths are due to cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke), cancer, chronic obstructive lung disease (bronchitis and emphysema) and diabetes. This places a major demand on the health care system. The total cost of illness, disability and death in Canada, due to chronic disease, is over $80 billion annually. As major chronic diseases in Canada share many common causes, there is an important opportunity for an integrated approach to chronic disease prevention.
The national Advisory Committee on Population Health (ACPH) in their discussion paper, Advancing Integrated Prevention Strategies in Canada: An Approach to Reducing the Burden of Chronic Diseases, recommends four main elements to an integrated chronic disease prevention strategy.
The four proposed elements are:
- Addressing the set of common risk factors.
- Recognizing and addressing the relationship between lifestyle choices and social conditions.
- Consolidating prevention efforts within life settings (i.e. school, work, community).
- Engaging partners within and across the systems that impact health.
The Public Health Agency
of Canada lists
terms and definitions for
Chronic Disease Prevention
and Cardiovascular disease
in particular. The Chronic
Disease Prevention Alliance
of Canada also has a list
of definitions.
Further definitions of integrated chronic disease prevention are available at:
- Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Canada
- Public Health Agency of Canada
- World Health Organization